


Call Me

by satan_chicken



Series: Band Oneshots [2]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Angst, Depression, M/M, Oneshot, Suicide Attempt, joshler - Freeform, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-11-18 23:26:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11301015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satan_chicken/pseuds/satan_chicken
Summary: Josh didn't think anyone would call. That was a long time ago.Now Tyler doesn't think anyone will answer.





	Call Me

**Author's Note:**

> The contents of this piece might be triggering and/or upsetting to some people. These contents include:  
> \- descrtiption of and attempted suicide  
> \- depression  
> \- neglect (getting kicked out)
> 
> Proceed at your own risk and please stop reading if you feel uncomfortable.

Josh let out a shaky breath as he exited the store, after waving goodbyes at the store owner. He was the last client of the day, and he could hear the old man locking up the front door behind him. Josh shifted the plastic bag from his right hand to his left and shoved the freed hand into the pocket of his coat. Winter was slowly creeping up on them, and if the weather forecast was anything to trust, they might be getting snow towards the end of the week. It was getting dark. Josh could see the sunset’s orange and pink hues behind the store’s rooftop when he started walking down the road. He had barely taken three steps when his phone rang in his pocket. He cursed inwardly. Josh dug out his cellphone from one of the many pockets and blinked away a few tears that the wind had raised in his eyes, reading the number on the screen. He didn’t recognize it. His steps slowed down a bit as he answered with a deep sigh.

“Hello?”

The wind howled on the other side. For a moment, Josh couldn’t hear anyone speaking. “Hello?” he said again and cursed. If he had just taken his hand out from the warmth of his pockets to answer a butt-dial, he would-

 “Are you Josh?”

The soft, shaky voice was so sudden, Josh almost dropped his groceries.

The caller had a high-pitched voice. It was clear and, in all honesty, a bit creepy to hear at almost ten in the evening when it was all dark and quiet. Josh was pretty sure it was a male voice, but it wasn’t familiar in any way. Also, Josh didn’t know anyone who would call him at this hour. His family lived across the country, they’d be sleeping, and his friends would be too busy sleeping or studying. Well, as if he had any friends. Let alone ones who still called instead of texting. Maybe someone from the campus? But why would they have his number?

“Y-yes. I’m Josh. Who… Who is this?” he stuttered out after the initial shock-induced silence had faded. The reply, once again, wasn’t instant. Almost as if the stranger was contemplating just hanging up.

“Tyler”, they replied after a long pause. Josh furrowed his brows. He didn’t know any Tylers.

“Okay. Tyler. Where’d you get my number?” Josh asked and realized that he had stopped walking completely.

“I umm… This… Oh God. This is going to sound so stupid. I’m sorry for bothering you, I just…” Tyler’s voice faded at the end, never finishing his sentence. “Hello?” Josh asked. “You’re not bothering me, I’m not busy. But it’s just… I’m confused”, Josh said and let out a light-hearted chuckle. Something about Tyler’s voice was familiar, but it wasn’t the voice itself, rather the tone. The feel. He sounded worried. Maybe there had been an emergency? But that wouldn’t explain why they had called Josh.

“I don’t know if you know, but your number? It’s written on... Like. An overpass. In Ohio.”

Josh blinked a few times. Ohio, so they had to be from nearby. They could be someone from campus. But his number? On an overpass? Josh tilted his head a bit, trying to think.

“Oh! Right! That… Hah. It’s still there?” he asked, slight amusement in his voice.

“Y-yes. That’s where I got it.”

“Oh wow. I thought for sure it wouldn’t be there anymore.”

“Why’d you write it there?” Tyler sounded a little bit more relaxed, even a bit curious, maybe.

“Oh it wasn’t me. It was a bet, I guess. We all wrote our numbers somewhere in public, just because we could. I guess we wanted to see who would get called first. It was a long time ago, I can’t even remember who won…” Josh said and smiled to himself, and then it was all quiet again.

“That’s cool.” Tyler’s voice didn’t make the statement very convincing.

“But hey, I don’t think anyone ever called me because of it. Why did you?”

The silence was getting to Josh’s nerves. It felt like any moment Tyler could creep up behind him and murder him with a knife, which of course was a ridiculous thought, but it felt like it. Why was he so quiet? What took him so long to answer? Josh bit his lower lip a bit, sucking it into his mouth.

“The sunset looks lovely from here. I stopped for a moment and saw your number… I guess I was curious.”

Josh shuffled a bit, shifting his phone and his groceries from one hand to the other, and started walking again, his footsteps small but rapid. He felt kind of stiff from the cold.

“Okay. Well, here I am. Talk to me. What’s the sunset like?”

 

 

Tyler squeezed his left hand, curling his fingers inside his palm, trying to keep them warm. His right hand was holding his phone up to his ear, and it was getting cold and numb. His skin had goosebumps all over it.

“What’s the sunset like?” Josh’s voice asked in his ear. Tyler glanced up from the number written on the metal railing. His eyes immediately watered, due to the sunlight and the crisp wind hitting his face.

“It’s so pretty”, Tyler said quietly. His voice was getting caught in his throat. “The sun is really bright, you know? But right now, it looks so much clearer, you can almost see the outline of it. And there’s clouds. They’re pink. And purple, in places.”

“Uh-huh. Is it orange? The sun?”

“It’s really orange.”

“That’s cool. Oh man, I wish I could see it.” Tyler paused again.

“Are you out of town?” he asked. He could hear wind crackling up the voice on the other end, so Josh had to be outdoors, at least.

“Are you even from here?” he added and lifted a brow even though he knew Josh wouldn’t see it.

“Yes, I live in Ohio, and I’m here right now, but there’s just trees and such. I can see the glow though, just… Not the actual sun.”

“Oh. Well, it’s beautiful”, Tyler said and smiled. Silence again.

Tyler shifted his weight on his feet and pulled the sleeves of his cotton shirt down. He wasn’t wearing a hoodie, or a jacket, or anything else to keep him warm. His sweatpants barely stayed up on his hips, and the bottoms of his feet were getting cold as the asphalt radiated its frost through the bottoms of his shoes. The wind held onto the hem of his shirt even when Tyler wrapped his arm around himself, desperately trying to keep warm. He hadn’t been prepared to be out here this long.

“Tyler, how old are you?” Josh asked.

“I’m… I’m 19.”

“Are you drunk?”

“No, I swear. I don’t drink”, Tyler replied, hearing Josh exhale into his phone.

“Okay, okay. I believe you.”

Tyler honestly didn’t know he would say it before it was already out.

“Please, don’t hang up.”

His voice was so weak, so trembling, it made Tyler cringe at himself. Did he actually just say that? He could hear Josh’s steps stopping, his jacket’s rustling coming to an end. Great, now Josh definitely thought he was drunk, or high. Or creepy at the very least.

“I… I won’t. Keep talking, Tyler.” Josh’s voice was collected, but Tyler could hear a hint of uncertainty underneath it. Josh was walking again.

“I… I’m sorry I said that. That was dumb”, Tyler mumbled and breathed on his left hand again. His nails were turning blue.

“It’s okay, don’t worry. What else should we talk about?” Tyler closed his eyes and leaned heavier on the railing.

“I don’t really know.”

“It’s cool. You don’t have to talk. If I tell you about something, will you listen?”

Tyler nodded. His brain caught up a moment later, and he shook his head slightly.

“Yes. I’ll listen”, he stuttered out. Jesus, he was acting dumb.

“Okay, so… My name is Joshua. But everyone calls me Josh. And uhh… I’m 20 years old. I moved to Ohio a few years ago because my parents kicked me out.”

Josh sounded bitter at the last sentence, which made Tyler bite his lip and look down. Was he bothering Josh? Was Josh angry?

“I… I play the drums. We have a band, kind of. We only played like, two gigs last summer”, Josh said, sounding normal again. Tyler released a breath and watched it glow a little in the sunset. Every moment it was getting darker, the sky fading more and more towards purples and reds rather than oranges.

“Do you play anything, Tyler?”

Tyler blinked a few times at the question and thought about it for a moment. What should he say? How much should he open up about himself?

“I do. I play the ukulele. And keyboard.”

“Have you ever played for an audience?”

“No, I… I don’t know what to play and I would get too nervous anyways and… You know.”

“Okay.”

“I- well I could play my own songs.”

“You write songs?”

Damnit, there it was. Tyler closed his eyes and pursed his lips. He had shared the one piece of information about himself that he usually hid, the one even his parents didn’t really know much about.

He did write songs, yes, but they were nowhere near anything he could ever perform in front of anyone. They were too personal, too scary. People would think he was a freak. Well, they do that already, he thought to himself.

“Y-yes. I do.”

“Do you sing as well?” Josh was suddenly sounding a little out of breath, but Tyler let it slide.

“Yea.” Josh was quiet for a while, but Tyler heard clothes rustling and footsteps walking across gravel. Tyler took a moment to look around, twisting his head and neck a little to look behind himself. The road was empty, and there was no one on the sidewalk across either. The railway was also empty. There was a train traffic light nearby, but it was also silent.

“Can you… Could you sing for me? Anything.”

 

Josh swapped places between the grocery bag and his cellphone; his hands were getting tired. It took him a moment to maneuver them around.

“Can you… Could you sing for me? Anything”, he asked when the bag and his cellphone were once again safe in either of his hands.

Tyler didn’t respond immediately. Josh was so certain the boy would say no, he was taken aback when the voice on the other side was suddenly higher and clearer, a little quieter. Tyler was singing.

“Why do you fill me up, buttercup baby, just to let me down…”

Josh smiled at his choice of song. His steps slowed down unconsciously to match the rhythm of the song and he was swaying a bit more than usual. Tyler’s voice was beautiful even through the strange rasp the cellphone speaker added to it. It sounded sweet. If Tyler’s voice was a food, it would be a chocolate-citrus flavored dessert. Josh smiled at the thought.

“Don’t break my heart”, Tyler lowered his voice slightly for the end, and it sounded like his voice was cut off by something, almost like it had cracked.

“Holy crap. If I could clap right now, I would.” Tyler’s single exhale closely resembling a giggle was enough to make the corners of Josh’s mouth tug up.

“Th-thanks”, Tyler mumbled, like he was embarrassed about it.

“I’d go to your concert”, Josh said and tried to play it off like a light-hearted comment rather than one of ‘you sound like an angel and I wish I could eat your voice’ or something along those lines. Then it was silent once again. Josh stopped for a moment, placed the plastic bag on the ground between his legs, and tilted his head against his shoulder to free his hands. He rubbed them together, trying to get the blood flowing.

“Oh… Cool.” Tyler took a while to answer, sounding uncertain again. Josh could guess Tyler wasn’t used to being complimented. In all honesty, it would’ve been weird for Josh too, so he couldn’t really blame him.

“Are you studying right now? University of something” he asked and picked up the bag again.

“Well… No, not really.”

“Not really? What does that mean?”

“I… No, I’m not studying.”

“Oh. Where do you live?”

Tyler was silent again. Josh cringed at himself, was this a bad subject? Not to mention it was probably creepy as well.

“I’m sorry, that sounded wrong- “

“I live with my parents. Hah.” Tyler’s laugh sounded self-deprecating, and Josh pouted.

“How stupid is it? I’m 19 and I don’t even have my own place.”

“No, it’s not stupid”, Josh said and licked his lips. “It’s normal. Don’t hurry with the whole moving out thing, it sucks having to pay rent.”

“But you get privacy. And independence.”

“I live with three other people in a tiny-ass apartment, as for independence… It comes with responsibility”, Josh said and shook his head at himself. He wasn’t Tyler’s dad, why was he talking like this? Tyler simply hummed a response. Man, these silences were getting heavier and heavier.

“Is the sun still there?”

 

Tyler’s heart was racing.

_Yes,_ he had wanted to argue, _yes, it is stupid to live with your own parents at 19. It’s stupid because you had to move back home after two months because you had been found on the floor with bleach down your throat. It’s stupid because your family isn’t there to help you, they are simply guarding you, watching you, so you wouldn’t kill yourself the second everyone turns their back._

But of course, Tyler couldn’t say that out loud.

“Is the sun still there?”

Tyler took a deep breath. Josh’s voice kept him grounded, for now. He focused on the question and the view in front of him.

“Yes. It’s lower and… More red. But still there.”

“And the clouds?”

“More purple and blue. Behind me the sky is already dark”, Tyler said quietly and glanced over his shoulder.

“Okay. It’s getting quite cold out here, huh?”

Tyler hadn’t noticed his voice was shivering.

“Y-yeah, sure”, he mumbled and hunched over himself to try and keep warm.

“It’s getting really late, shouldn’t you go home?”

Tyler’s eyes stung and a gust of wind sent shivers down his back. He took the phone off his ear to glance at the clock. It was now 10:34pm.

“A few more minutes.” Tyler heard Josh’s footsteps getting a little faster again.

 

“Okay”, Josh said and bit his lip. He felt the small grocery bag swing and hit his thigh. His wrist was kind of aching from the weird position, the bag handles pressing against it as he tried to keep his hand in his pocket. He was holding onto his small set of keys.

“Josh…” Tyler sounded freezing, and hurt, and… Desperate.

“Tyler? Are you okay?”

“Yes. Just… Please, talk. About anything.”

Josh took a deep breath and turned right, walking even faster. He tried to sound at ease, like he wasn’t out of breath or wheezing because of the chill in the air, making his lungs burn.

“I used to go to that bridge a lot. I haven’t been there for a while, I drive a car now so I don’t walk around as much. And I don’t have a reason to stop there anymore, anyways.”

“Josh?” Said man chose to ignore the worried tone in Tyler’s voice.

“It’s an inspiring sight, really. The sunset over the railway and the unkempt vegetation. It’s poetic.” Silence again. Tyler wasn’t responding anymore. Josh picked up his pace, walking even faster.

"Tyler, most people… They see the sunset either alone or with a loved one. They do so because of the pretty view. When they're alone… They stop because they want to appreciate it. And they think 'wow that looks beautiful. I should take a picture. Life is amazing' and they think about the beautiful colors, like… Like paint splashed over a blue canvas, they think it's breathtaking and they don't want anyone to corrupt their silent thoughts.”

“And people who are in love stop because there they can say stuff like ‘Sure, the sun is pretty, but you’re even prettier’. They can have a beautiful date or a proposal site or something. The sun is setting, it’s romantic, they can look at it and breathe, just the two of them and the sun. In short, I have never seen people stop there for any other reason than to watch the sun set."

“I used to stop there as well, but never simply because of the sun. And I know you didn’t stop because of it either. Tyler, when people like you and me, when we stand on an overpass, the sunset isn't why we stopped. It never is. If we stop, we know we won’t get any further, so we choose to never stop at all. We walk away while we still can.”

“Josh”, Tyler whimpered. Josh was caught up in the moment, he was fired up, almost running at this point.

“Tyler, I know you aren’t there to admire the sun. You stopped, but you had been planning it for a while, hadn’t you? And then you called a complete stranger. Because you knew that anyone else would call the cops because they know what you were going to do. Tyler, you think I don’t know? I know because I stood there, I did what you’re about to.”

“Josh, please stop.”

“Listen to me, Tyler, please”, Josh said and felt his breath shaking from both emotional and physical strain.

“Tyler. I’ve stood right there, where you are right now, and I… I thought I would never walk away. But…”

Josh was cut off when he heard train sirens both from the cellphone, and from a few hundred feet down the road to his left. He groaned and started running. The plastic bag dug into his hands.

“Tyler... Don’t… Move”, Josh heard his own voice crack. “Don’t you dare. Trust me, Tyler, the moment you realize that you can’t take it back anymore, you wished you could”, Josh spoke fast, holding his breath.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Tyler cried, and Josh’s heart skipped a beat when he heard the voice twice. He was so close.

“Tyler”, Josh exhaled, “I promise you. I know how you feel. Why do you think my number is there?”

The silence filled with nothing but train sirens, and ground rustling and wind blowing; it was going to drive Josh crazy if it had been any longer.

“Why… Why should I listen to you?”

“Because… Tyler… Please...” Josh could hear footsteps. Against metal, not asphalt.

“Don’t. Tyler… Tyler, look to your right!” Josh cried and stopped running.

 

Tyler’s eyes watered. His right foot was on top of the railing, ready to push him off. He could hear the train getting closer, the ground shaking and the sirens making a rusty, metallic clonk, and his mind screamed at him to _hurry,_ because it would only be a moment and then it would be too late.

“Look to your right!” Josh’s voice was shaky, he sounded like he was crying.

Tyler glanced right, confused at first, but then realization struck him.

Josh wasn’t far. Tyler could tell he was out of breath. Josh had stopped, his eyes wide and glimmering with tears, one hand still holding the phone.

_Do it. Do it now. He won’t be able to save you._

“But…” Tyler sobbed to himself. He really didn’t want to jump.

_Do it! Hurry!_

Tyler let out a broken cry, throwing his phone aside and glancing behind himself. The train was almost there. If he did jump now, there was no way Josh could catch him or the train could break before hitting him.

_NOW, TYLER!_

Tyler stood up on the metal railing.

 

_Tyler._

What?

_Tyler._

What is it? Am I dead? Who are you?

_Tyler!_

What?

“Tyler!”

Josh’s voice was quiet and soft, but laced with worry and a choked sob.

“Tyler”, he repeated the name. Tyler didn’t feel ground underneath his feet. His back was pressed against a cold surface, and something was holding him by the waist. He made a weak attempt to move his legs, but only managed to flail them around in the air.

He cracked open his eyes and gasped when sunlight hit them. He immediately shut them again, and felt a tug upwards.

“Tyler.” It was Josh. _That’s weird, I don’t know any Joshes._ Whatever was holding him, it had tried to drag him upwards.

_His arms_ , Tyler thought and tried to move a little in the tight grip.

“Tyler don’t move. I’m pulling you up now, okay?” Josh sounded determined, despite the slight crack in his voice. _It’s Josh. But who’s Josh?_

“Okay”, Tyler murmured. His mind was hazy; where was he? Was this heaven? He hadn’t felt the train hit him, though. No sudden pain or a harsh landing. He could remember stepping off.

Josh’s arms tightened and Tyler made a small sound at having air pushed out of his lungs.

“Sorry”, Josh murmured and pulled a little harder.

_I’m not dead_ , Tyler thought.

“Josh?” he asked quietly and heard a groan from somewhere above him. Then he was moving, his body was being pulled upwards, his torso bending backwards and his arms hitting against cold metal. And then there was ground underneath his feet again.

“Oh sweet Jesus”, Josh swore quietly and held onto Tyler as the smaller boy’s feet gave way. With Josh softening the landing, he was now leaning against the railing, sitting, on the ground, safe.

The inside of Tyler’s eyelids wasn’t orange anymore, so he cracked them open the slightest. He blinked the blurriness away to see red, curly hair, tear-stained cheeks, deep brown eyes, and a black jacket being placed carefully on him. _Josh, right?_

“Josh”, Tyler whispered. Said boy looked up into Tyler’s eyes and faked a smile.

“You’re okay. It’s okay”, he mumbled, more to himself than Tyler.

“I jumped.”

“Yes you did. But you didn’t land, so it’s okay”, Josh said softly and patted his pockets. Tyler glanced around. A bridge, some trees, a grocery bag with its contents scattered across the road to their right. A cellphone was thrown on the ground a few feet away.

The cold hit him fast and hard. Tyler shuddered and pulled Josh’s jacket closer. The asphalt was cold, the metal railing behind him even colder, and the air was biting his cheeks and nose.

“I’m calling… Heck, someone”, Josh said and Tyler turned to look at him. Josh had a cellphone in his hand, he was looking at with furrowed brows and a pout.

“No, don’t call”, Tyler whimpered and felt his eyes sting.

“Tyler I have to. You tried to kill yourself, you need help”, Josh muttered and lifted the cellphone up to his ear. Tyler couldn’t see who he was calling, but he could place some good bets on it.

Tyler closed his eyes and leaned back. He could feel his body shaking.

“Hello?” Josh’s voice was closer now. Tyler could hear him moving around, and then Josh’s arms were around him again. The shivers died down slowly. “Yeah, uhh. My friend Tyler just…” The rest of Josh’s voice kind of faded out. Tyler leaned into him. He was warm and… Very human-feeling. Comfortable and _real,_ he kept Tyler awake and grounded.

“It’s a good thing you called”, Josh mumbled next to Tyler’s ear. A moment of silence was all it took for the last bits of energy left in Tyler to leave.

“I’m tired.”

“Okay.”

“You won’t leave?” Tyler asked carefully and looked at Josh with half-lidded eyes.

“No, I won’t leave. I’ll stay right here”, Josh mumbled and shifted his arms around Tyler’s small frame. With that, Tyler closed his eyes and let go of consciousness.

\---

_I’ll be holding onto you._

**Author's Note:**

> It was not my intention to romanticize mental illness or suicide. If you or someone you know is suffering from a mental illness, please contact a professional and get help.
> 
> \---
> 
> Whoooo I hope you liked that.
> 
> Leave Kudos or a comment if you did.


End file.
